


The Stars Belong To You

by itsumako



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College!AU feat. artist/hipster Jean, F/F, M/M, Minor Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart, also naked paint fights and nude body sketches heyoooo, and awkward artist!Marco, what more can i offer this fandom in this trying time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-01-26 14:35:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1691828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsumako/pseuds/itsumako
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marco felt slightly intrigued by him, despite the fact that he clearly had a bee up his ass and a fuck-off attitude. ”You’re in the same art class as me.” he said lamely.<br/>”I would assume so, seeing as we just bumped into each other on the way out,” came the clipped response.<br/>A mental image of himself digging a hole and then jumping into it passed through Marco's mind. Way to go Captain Obvious.<br/>“T-totally.” Marco stammered. The man sighed - out of pity or just out of annoyance, Marco couldn’t tell - and tugged his leather jacket closer round his body. “Anyway, the name's Jean.” </p><p>---</p><p>College!AU feat hipster/artist!Jean and awkward artist!Marco~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Stars Belong To You (Ch.1)

"God, I’m totally going to flunk this year." Eren groaned, as he swirled a spoon in his cafe mocha. The scoop of cream was momentarily covered in a wave of chocolate coffee but bobbed up again and Eren poked at it with his spoon. 

"Eren, do you really have to play with your drink like that? You’re nineteen for God’s sake." Mikasa lightly scolded, elbowing him.

Marco and Armin exchanged glances and stifled their laughter. Mikasa and Eren had such a classic sibling relationship, despite not being related. They bickered over stupid things sometimes, but deep down they were fiercely protective of each other and had a bond that was incredibly strong. Rumour had it that once in primary, Eren had been bullied by some bigger kids, and after school Mikasa had gone and kicked their asses so hard that they didn't turn up to school for three days. Of course, when asked about this, Eren just laughed and Mikasa didn’t say anything.  
  
The four friends were sitting indoors at Starbucks, the warmth inside of the cafe beating the blustery September weather. Outside, the cobblestone sidewalk was illuminated in a fiery glow as the leaves twirled their way to the ground, and the soft hum of the city people making their way in and out of the cafe, mingled with Starbucks' jazzy playlist created the perfect autumn atmosphere, and despite it only being September, the cafe had already had their Halloween menu set up and their spicy pumpkin muffins out for taste testing on the counter.

Eren ignored her remark and made a noise that sounded similar to that of a creature in agony. ”Y’know you’d think that with exams looming up in less than two weeks, plus a nine page essay that’s due next Friday that the college would grant some extra time for those students that have been busy with other important matters.”

Mikasa’s jaw dropped and her dark eyes flashed. ”Important matters, my ass! Maybe if you weren’t sitting here in Starbucks complaining about your studies, and you were actually doing them, then you wouldn’t be under such stress! Besides, I know you’ve been persuading Armin to sneak out of campus with you to go to town at night, so it’s no wonder your grades are going down the drain.” She cast a withering look at Armin, who flushed pink and nervously sipped at his coffee frappuchino.

"At least you know what you’re doing though," Marco commented. It was his first year at college, and he’d arrived at the campus with that all too familiar feeling of I-Knew-I-Should-Have-Stayed-In-Bed-This-Morning. Luckily, he'd been placed in the same dorm as Armin Arlert, Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman, who were all first year students too. They’d been friendly and kind to him, and while he was grateful that they'd accepted him into their small group, one thing that bothered Marco was that he seemed to be the only one out of them who wasn’t sure about what he actually wanted to do. They all knew what they were doing and talked about it during their breaks and studied together, while Marco read through endless flyers and leaflets on the courses that the college offered. He’d signed up for a physical education class that started in a week, but he wasn’t sure that he’d enjoy it that much. When Marco was younger, he'd thought that going to college meant having fun and enjoy your studies with your friends. Once he'd left school, reality decided to kick him in the ass and he'd soon come to the sad realisation that all he’d done was feel sorry for himself and drink ungodly amounts of coffee to compensate for his late night researching. 

"I actually have no idea what I’m doing, I’m mostly just bluffing my way through college and I’m fortunate enough to have conjured a false sense of security about it." Eren remarked in a dry tone, still poking at the large scoop of cream in his mocha. "Did I ask for this much cream? I can’t even get to my drink."

Marco huffed. “Eren, you know what I mean.”

Mikasa patted his hand. “I’m sure you’ll find something you want to do. Go to one of the careers evenings and maybe then you’ll find something you haven’t heard of before that appeals to you. And don’t feel too bad about it, there’s heaps of students that don’t know what they want to do.”

"I don’t get why you haven’t signed up for the art course. I saw your sketchbook on your bed and I peeked through it and you’re great! You should sign up, even if it’s just for fun.” Armin piped up enthusiastically, his eyes gleaming from under his blonde bangs.

Marco’s eyes widened and his freckled cheeks went red. “Why would you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Go through my sketchbook, dumbass!”

“I was curious!” Armin retorted. "

"Well I’m not even that good I-”

Eren leaned over and placed his finger on Marco’s lips. “Nuh uh!” He waggled a finger. “None of that self deprecating talk now, freckles.”

Rolling his eyes, Marco sighed wearily. “You guys are fucking persistent.”

"Consider us your support team.” Eren grinned, patting his friend on the back.

“You might want to consider looking up the definition of support and compare it to the definition for pressure.” Marco teased, and Eren poked his tongue out at him.

Mikasa looked serious. ”Really though, you should really consider just taking it - even if it isn’t something you want to do seriously, at least you’d be doing something. You might feel better about things if you’re actually busy doing a course.” She finished her drink and brushed back her hair.

Marco sighed and tapped the end of his straw against the tall glass of icy chocolate. Little droplets of condensation rolled down the side, creating a small puddle round the base of the cup. “I guess I could try it out.”

"Go for it! You’ve got nothing to lose." Armin chirped, ever perky and cheerful.

 _"Nothing except my sense of well being and stability if I hate this class and it turns out I'm not actually that good at drawing."_ Marco chewed his lip.He mentally slapped himself.  
 _"I musn't think so negatively, especially when my friends are being so supportive and encouraging."_ He sighed and looked round the room and his eye suddenly caught on to someone. A young man, about the same age as him was watching him. Marco tilted his head in confusion and the man hurriedly looked away.   
  
 _What the fuck?_

He stared and noticed the man was wearing a well fitted leather jacket and a pair of black and gold tinted aviators hung in the low v-line of his singlet. He was good looking, Marco thought, but his behaviour was strange nonetheless.

”Uh, earth to Marco.” A finger snapped in front of his face and Marco started and turned back to his friends. Eren looked over to where the man was sitting, trying to hide his face behind a magazine. “Cat got your tongue?” He winked and Marco wished the earth would swallow him. 

”Are you going to ask the art professor if you can join?” Mikasa probed, ignoring Eren and Armin’s snickers.  
  
Marco finished his iced chocolate. “I’ll talk to one of the tutors tomorrow. And guys? Thank you for being here for me.”  
  
"Of course." Mikasa replied, smiling gently.  
  
The others started talking about other things and Marco snuck a peek over to where the man had been sitting, but he couldn't see him. He turned and looked round at the other tables, but only saw couples and other young students chatting over steamy drinks and halloween-themed treats. Shifting his gaze back over to where he'd first seen the stranger, he noticed the magazine still lying on the table, next to an empty china cup and plate. The stranger was nowhere to be seen. Weird. Leaving the strange scene to float out of his conscious, Marco turned back to his friends and thought no more of it.


	2. The Stars Belong To You (Ch. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marco discovers that his art teacher is actually Satan, and that the dude from Starbucks is a jerk with a great ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! I hope you're all enjoying it so far!^^ 
> 
> hhhh one of my headcanons is that hipster!Jean has an eyebrow piercing and possibly a tattoo somewhere on his body ;v ;;
> 
> As always, kind critique is welcomed and comments/feedback are appreciated - all my work has been checked over//proofread// etc but if I have made any mistakes in here don't be afraid to let me know ! Thank you~
> 
> \- find me here at erwinbutt.tumblr.com ;
> 
> (also I have no idea why chapter one's notes are featured at the bottom of chapter two, I'm sorry I'm still super new to this site wahh)

Two days later, Marco ended up signing up for the art class and ditching the physical education course. He’d received a warning from one of the art students that the art tutor was like a dragon, but when she spoke to Marco, she seemed nice enough. _Oh if only he had the gift of clairvoyance to see how wrong he would be._  
He walked into the lecture hall and looked round at the swarms of students pushing to get a good seat so they could see the whiteboard and life size mannequin that served as a reference at the front. Making his way through he waves of people, Marco found a seat near a window at the back of the class and sat there. He didn’t have a great view, and he highly doubted that anyone other than the teacher would be doing the demonstrations and teaching, but he didn’t want to risk being called up to the front of the class for anything.

”Welcome to all the first year students that have signed up for this year’s art course. Over the year we’ll be studying…”

Marco let the teacher’s voice drone on and absentmindedly tapped his pencil against his lips. _”I hope I’m doing the right thing here.”_

He didn’t know why he was so worried about what classes he did, but he reckoned it was something to do with the perfectionist within himself; if he wanted to do something, he wanted to have the assurance that he knew he was capable of it, as well as knowing that it would be something he’d be good at. Not exactly an ideal personality for a melancholic person who was studying art, yet only considered it a hobby of theirs. Staring out the window he was caught up in his daydreams until he noticed Mikasa walking with her girlfriend Annie Leonhardt to take her to one of her classes. Marco didn’t know Annie very well but she looked really fit so he assumed she was doing some sort of sports class. Probably the physical course that he ditched. Mikasa looked up and noticed him looking out the window. She waved at him and he smiled. Eren had told him that Mikasa and Annie hadn't exactly gotten on when they first met, but after being placed together as study partners for their course, they'd found a tender friendship, which had soon blossomed into a relationship. Eren had an expression of quiet wonder and in that moment Marco realised how much Mikasa's happiness meant to him. 

A hand tapped him on the shoulder and he jerked his head up, startled. “Marco? Are you paying attention? Or would you rather let us all know what's going through your head right now?” the tutor was standing in front of his desk, a stack of papers in her hand.

“Oh, s-sorry, I, er , saw a f-friend and-” He fumbled over his apology as she handed him some sheets of paper and ignored the flames that spread from his neck to his cheeks as he felt all eyes on him.

“Well now is not the time for socializing, and if you want to keep up in this class, I suggest you start keeping your eyes on me, instead of your pals. This class is for people who want to excel in their artwork and nobody will learn anything if you hold them behind,” The teacher’s voice was cold. "And we wouldn't want to hold them back because Marco was daydreaming, now would we?" She leaned right in and glared at him.

Marco bit his lip and stared at the paper, the words becoming a blurry haze. “Sorry.”

“Right. Since some of you weren’t paying attention," the tutor deliberately looked at Marco, and a couple of students snickered. He felt himself dying on the inside. "I’ll repeat myself. This assignment is due in three weeks.” She left and made her way back down to the front of the lecture hall. A few students behind Marco snickered and whispered among themselves.

 _"Don't let them get to you."_ Anger rose in Marco's throat, as he looked at the students behind him. They quickly looked back at their books and Marco rolled his eyes. This was college, not fucking kindergarten. Grow up.

 

* * *

                                                                                                                                                

After the teacher had finished her lecture and made sure to let Marco knew what was happening - much to his embarrassment - he dashed out the class and nearly knocked into someone on the way out.

“Hey watch it there, you nearly made me drop my books.” An irritated sounding voice hissed.

”Oh I’m so sorry for-” Marco stopped mid sentence. The person he bumped into had been the dude staring at him in the café. He was tall and slim, and wore a leather jacket over a low cut grey shirt, that was half tucked into his jeans. His eyes were narrowed into a glare and his mouth was pulled back into a look of disdain. Marco thought he would’ve looked very cute if he didn’t have the expression of someone who had a large stick up their ass. “You!”

”Me?” He responded coolly, running a hand through his short hair. Marco noticed it was partially shaved round the back and slightly at the sides. He also noticed one of his eyebrows was pierced, and that his eyes were a rich shade of brown with flecks of lighter brown swimming in them.  
  
 _Oh no. He's definitely cute._

“I saw you in Starbucks yesterday.” Marco folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head to the side.

”Is that so.”

“I also saw you trying to hide behind your magazine after I caught you staring at me.”

The stranger's cheeks flushed but he continued to stare defiantly at Marco. ”You must be mistaking me for someone else.”

Marco felt a flash of irritation. Clearly this guy wasn’t going to own up to the fact that he’d been there at the café. Maybe he was embarrassed by being caught out, but whatever. It was a petty argument to get into and Marco was tired - he could feel a headache coming on, and he just wanted to go home, have a hot shower and flop into bed.  
All the same, Marco felt slightly intrigued by the stranger, despite the fact that he clearly had a bee up his ass and a fuck-off attitude.

”You’re in the same art class as me.” he said lamely.

”Obviously since we just bumped into each other on the way out,” came the clipped response.

A mental image of himself digging a hole and then jumping into it passed through Marco's mind. _Way to go Captain Obvious._

“T-totally.” Marco stammered.  
  
The man sighed - out of pity or just out of annoyance, Marco couldn’t tell - and tugged his leather jacket closer round his body. “I’m Jean.”

”Jean.” Marco repeated in a monotone. “I’m Marco.” He held out his hand and Jean cocked his head to the side and gave him an odd look, as if the idea of a handshake was foreign to him. _Was giving a handshake to someone you just met still polite or was it old fashioned?_  Marco wondered. He'd have to ask Armin or Eren when he got back to his dorm. Marco quickly dropped the gesture. “Sorry for nearly knocking you over back there.”

“You already introduced yourself and apologised. It’s fine.” Jean attempted a smile, and although it looked forced, Marco couldn’t help smiling back. ”It’s your first year, right?” he continued.

“Yeah. But so far it hasn’t started off that well.”

”Huh.” Jean jammed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and started heading down the corridor. Marco tried not to stare at his ass and followed him.

“Is it your first year too?”

”Second.”

”Oh.” They walked on in silence, Marco feeling unsure as to whether he should try and continue the conversation or just leave. He’d never felt more uncomfortable in his entire life. He questioned whether it would be too rude to quickly think of an excuse and leave this horribly awkward situation.

 _“Well it was great to get to know you Jean, but my how time flies when you’re having fun, huh? Unfortunately if I check my timetable in my diary - ah yes, it’s time for me to head back to my dorm so I can spend the rest of my evening over-analyzing how much of an idiot I’ve made of myself today! I’ll see you later, if I haven’t buried myself first!”_  
  
Marco opened his mouth but Jean stopped in his tracks.  ”I saw your sketchbook. You’re talented, Marco.”

Marco tried not to focus on how nice his name sounded when Jean said it in that soft tone. “Thanks. I’m sure yours are great too.”

Jean didn’t say anything and Marco peeked over at him. His lips were curved into a small smile and Marco felt a strange tight feeling in his chest. He suddenly turned and looked intently at Marco, who found himself gazing back. ”So I’ll see you tomorrow? I can introduce you to some of the other art students if you’d like.”

Marco broke his gaze and looked up and saw that they were standing in front of what must be Jean’s dorm. He could hear loud laughter coming from inside and remembered Mikasa, Eren and Armin. They were probably wondering where he was and how his day had gone. ”Oh yeah that would be really great.”

Jean nodded. “Cool.”

Marco started to leave but Jean grabbed his arm before he could take two steps. Looking surprised, Marco turned around.

”Uh.. I’ll see you tomorrow. And don't worry about the teacher. She's always like that. You'll be fine in class.” Jean dropped his arm as if it were on fire, and hurriedly went inside his dorm, not bothering to look behind him and slamming the door shut.

Marco, feeling stunned, turned in a daze and started heading back to his quarters. It was getting dark and his headache was a lot stronger now. Fiery leaves and cotton candy coloured petals from the blossom trees floated in front of his feet and the moon rose over the campus, illuminating all the buildings in a celestial light.  
  
 _So that was Jean._ His face and pouty, moody expression passed through Marco's mind and he found himself unconsciously smiling to himself. _Huh. What a weirdo._


	3. The Stars Belong To You (Ch. 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepy!Jean should be illegal.

"Jeez Marco, what’s taking you so long? Are you jerking off in there or something?" Eren’s cranky voice floated through the closed bathroom door.

"Already done that."

"Gross!!" Marco rolled his eyes and ignored Eren's protests as he finished brushing his teeth. He spat in the basin and washed his mouth out, and then started drying his damp hair. This morning he was going to meet Jean outside his dorm and walk to their class together and to say he was feeling butterflies would be an understatement. Marco wasn't even going to try and deny the fact that he had a big, dumb crush on the smart-mouthed artist. He licked his hand and smoothed a random piece of hair that stuck up at the back of his head. It remained sticking up.

"Marcooooo! Hurry up!" A loud knock sounded on the door.

"For fucks sake Eren, this is why we have two bathrooms!" Marco yelled back. 

"Armin’s using the shower in the other bathroom, I can’t go in!" 

"You've seen him naked plenty of times, I don’t think he’d really care if you joined him in the shower."

That seemed to shut Eren up, and Marco went back to getting ready. _Now, what was he supposed to wear?_  He felt like a teenager going out on their first date, except he was an adult and he wasn't going on a date, he was simply meeting the most good-looking guy in college. Marco sighed and looked at the pile of clothes he'd sneaked into the bathroom with him.

_Fuck._

* * *

 Three shirts and four pairs of jeans later, Marco looked in the mirror and posed to see how he looked. He was wearing a plain shirt, with an unzipped hoodie over it and a pair of skinny jeans. He was going for the cute-yet-casual look, but looking at his outfit now, it seemed more like dead-on-the-inside-yet-casual. He shrugged to himself and squinted at his reflection. A tall boy with constellations of freckles spattered across his cheeks and slightly darkened shadows under his eyes stared back at him. He scrunched his nose and ran a hand through his hair, trying to make it look a little more neat. Whatever. Maybe Jean had a slight thing for boys that wore similar attire to that of an amateur drug dealer and had messy hair and dark rings under their eyes.

"See you guys later." Marco called out, before grabbing his backpack and heading out the door. He walked through the campus, smiling shyly at the other students wandering past, that clutched books to their chests and laughed with their friends. The air was chilly and he slung his bag over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets. Leaves broke under his feet and small puffs of mist escaped his lips as he breathed. He came up to Jean’s dorm and knocked on the door, his knuckles stinging from the cold. Nobody answered and Marco chewed his lip. What if Jean had forgotten? Maybe he should leave and just head to art class by himself. He turned but heard somebody inside padding around. The door opened and Marco’s eye widened. "Oh my god, Jean I’m s-sorry, am I too early?"

Jean stood in the doorway, hair tousled and wearing nothing but a baggy shirt that hung to halfway down his thighs. Marco tried to keep his eyes up, but that didn't stop his mind from questioning whether Jean was wearing anything underneath the shirt. Didn't seem like it, and Marco felt as thought his cheeks were on fire. Luckily, Jean seemed too drowsy to notice.

"Fuck, what’s the time?" his voice was rough with sleep, and he reached up and rubbed his eyes. His face was flushed from sleep and his lips slightly pink and swollen and _god, if Marco didn't want to tackle him to the ground and shower him with kisses right there, right now._

"I-It’s nine," Marco stammered. "Class starts in an hour."

"Aw shit dude you should have told me you were coming so early," Jean yawned and stretched, making a soft noise that sent a tingle down Marco’s spine.

"I can just go to class now, and you can meet me there when you're ready?" Marco started to turn away.

"No! I mean, it’s okay, I probably should have been awake anyway," Jean hastily replied. He turned and walked back into his dorm. "You can come in if you want."

Marco timidly stepped inside and looked round. Jean’s dorm had two beds on opposite sides of the room, one messy and one tidily made up. Marco assumed the untidy one was Jean’s. A half-open door led into what was probably a bathroom. A blank easel stood in the corner, and a desk that was covered in papers and one lone laptop had been placed in between the two beds. A jar containing water and brushes sat on the window sill, next to a trophy that glinted in the autumn sun. The tidy bed had posters of sports teams above it, while Jean’s side of the room didn't have any posters. His roommate was clearly into sports, that much was obvious.

"You have a nice dorm." Marco nervously called out, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. 

"It suits my needs." Jean’s one lined reply came from within the bathroom. Marco heard water running and he gingerly sat down on Jean’s bed and clasped his hands together, trying not to think of Jean in the shower, with rivers of waters running across his shoulders, chest and back, his hair wet and lips parted…

Marco felt a warm sensation stirring in his lower stomach and he let out a soft breath and let his mind wander.

"Marco?" 

He sat up and crossed his legs, instantly regretting putting on skinny jeans. _Shit, how long had he been sitting there fantasizing about Jean in the shower?_  He felt like a creep and the hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he felt Jean's gaze on him. He stood in front of him, having come in from the bathroom, now wearing jeans and a grey scoop-necked shirt that featured a large navy anchor on it. A stray rivulet of water dropped from a strand of his damp hair and his cheeks were pink. Marco didn't want to know whether they were red from the cold air or the fact that Marco had a very obvious boner. “Class is starting in twenty minutes, we better get going.” Jean pulled on a knit beanie and headed out.

Marco nodded, and followed him out the door, hurriedly adjusting his jeans and tugging his hoodie lower, hoping he'd be fine when he reached class.

* * *

 Jean introduced Marco to everyone but they didn't really seem to care that much, and although Marco knew Jean was going out of his way to be nice to him, he felt awkward the whole time he was being shown around. After a while Jean seemed to give up and he gave an apologetic look to Marco and disappeared into the hall. Marco ran after him and stood next to his desk.

"Uh, you can sit down if you want." Jean raised an eyebrow, his piercing glinting in the light. Marco wondered if he had any other piercings. Maybe he had a tattoo somewhere. 

"Oh, right!" Marco grabbed a seat, then leaned over and tilted his head and watched Jean. He looked slightly amused and Marco felt his heart speed up. "Hey, uh, can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

"Did that hurt?" Marco pointed at his pierced eyebrow.   
  
"Well I’d be lying if I said it was pain free, but no it didn't hurt that much. Why do you ask? Are you thinking of getting one?"

Marco shook his head. “No I’m too scared.” He laughed. “I just think it looks good on you, that’s all.”

A surprised expression crossed Jean’s face, but it quickly turned into one of mild pleasure and Marco felt warm inside. “Oh. Thank you. I-“

He was cut off by the art tutor walking into class. “Good morning everyone. In regards to the assignments I gave you yesterday, there’s going to be a slight change.”

A collective groan rose up from the students and Marco was thankful he hadn't started his assignment yet. He looked over at Jean, but Jean was sketching something in his book. He peered over but Jean covered the page with the crook of his arm so Marco couldn't see.   
  
"You will all be required to work in pairs for some of the projects," She continued. "So after class, choose your partners. And remember, it had to be handed in within three weeks."

Marco folded his arms and rested his chin on them, his gaze wandering round the room. Everyone was talking to one another, nudging each other and grinning excitedly as they chose their pairs. He wondered if Jean would want to be his partner. Suddenly a small piece of paper was shoved onto his desk. Confusion knitting his brow, Marco picked it up and opened it.

 _"I was going to say I think you’d look good with a piercing too."_ Jean had written to him on the piece of scrap paper. 

 _"Writing notes to each other? I’m having flash backs to first grade."_  Marco wrote back.  _"But thank you."_ He passed it to Jean, smiling at the compliment. 

_"You should smile more often, too."_

_"I could say the same for you."_ Marco looked over to see what Jean's reaction was. He read it and his lips curved into a smirk.

_"Fair point. But in all honesty, you have a nice smile."_

Marco bit his lip and tried to keep himself grinning. _"Thanks._ _Btw, do you know what we’re doing for the assignment?"_

_"No, I haven’t even looked at it yet."_

_"Neither."_

_"Well fuck me."_

_“I totally would.”_ Marco was tempted to write back. Instead he found his hand replying with _, “At least we've got three weeks to sort it out.”_

_“A lot can happen in three weeks to distract you though.”_

Marco’s squinted at the scrap of paper and then looked over at Jean. He was focusing on the teacher talking. _A lot can happen in three weeks to distract you - what was that  even supposed to mean?_

_“Could you maybe be a little less cryptic?”_

Jean didn't reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really want to see Jean in a dorky beanie or Marco wearing a large hoodie please im so weak
> 
> Anyway, hello lovelies! I'm sorry that this has taken me a few days to post, I'm actually pretty sick with a flu-type thing at the moment, so that's why I've only posted this now. However, I have got the next chapter ready for posting.  
> But wait, there's more!! Not only do Marco and Jean's relationship progress (finally since I'm sort of dragging it out lmao sorry~) but I'll be posting it shortly. Yay for me and yay for those that are still reading this! /hugs and smooches for all of you/
> 
> As always, kind critique is welcomed and comments/feedback are appreciated - if I have made any mistakes in here don't be afraid to let me know ! Thank you~
> 
> \- feel free to find me here at erwinbutt.tumblr.com and say hi ! ;


	4. The Stars Belong To You (Ch. 4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there's drama and unresolved sexual tension, and Marco discovers that Eren and Armin are great at giving relationship advice.

“So what’s the deal with you and Jean?” Eren questioned innocently.

Marco’s head jerked up from out of his book he was reading and he looked round the library where he was studying with his friends. He glared at Eren who was lying on his stomach with his chin in his hands, a knowing smirk playing with his lips. 

“I’d rather not have the whole library know, thanks.” Marco hissed. He glanced left and right and then looked at Eren. “Besides, what do you know about us?”

“Oh, not much, except he was the creep that was stalking you in Starb-”  
  
”He’s not a creep, he just happened to be there the same time that we were.”

Eren looked at Armin with a raised eyebrow and Armin covered his mouth and tried not to snicker. ”Alright, so creep was a bit of a harsh word. But we also know that you have a huge fucking crush on him.”

Marco groaned. ”Oh my god, you guys are the worst. Who even told you that?"

"Nobody told us - you just happen to be incredibly obvious about the whole thing. You think we haven't noticed the dazed looks you get on your face every time he walks past us on campus? Please." 

“He is cute though,” Armin contributed, helpfully. 

“Please, we’re just art partners, and friends at the most.” Marco sighed, picking up his book on Monet and trying to focus on that again. Eren made a sound of horror and grabbed the book out of Marco’s hand, earning himself a cry of protest from his friend. ”Eren!"

”Marco, are you going to do anything about your feelings for him?” Eren looked dead serious and Armin nodded in agreement with him. 

“I don’t know, probably not. I generally try and focus on other stuff and hope they go away by themselves.”

“No wonder you remained a virgin throughout high school.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake Eren, do you mind?” Marco’s face grew hot and he shot him a scathing look, snatching the stolen book from Eren’s fingers and flipping through to find the page he’d been on. “Now I’ve lost my page! Thanks a lot.”

Eren raised his hands in defeat. “Wow alright, all I’m saying is that you should really try to get with Jean.”

Marco rolled his eyes. “If it’s meant to happen it’ll happen alright?” He stood up and gathered the books he wanted to check out. “I’ll be going out, so don’t expect me back at our dorm until about ten tonight, alright?”

“Remember to wear a condom!” Armin called out helpfully, while Eren imitated a sexual act with his fingers. A couple of people gave Marco odd looks and one guy gave him the thumbs up.

_“Remind me to never show my face at the library ever again.”_

* * *

 

Oh, how Marco's heart had soared when Jean had asked him to be his partner for their art projects. He loved being around Jean, and even the moody student had seemed to warm up to him. 

Now he stood outside Jean's dorm, waiting to go and study with him. He knocked once and the door was flung open by a brawny looking man. "Yeah?"

"H-hi I'm Marco, I'm looking for-"

"JEAN THERE'S SOMEONE AT THE DOOR FOR YOU!" the man interrupted and went back inside. Marco stood there feeling stunned and soon Jean appeared and rolled his eyes. 

"That's Reiner, my room mate. Don't worry about him, he's going out tonight anyway." Jean led Marco inside and indicated for him to sit at the table. Marco took a seat and clasped his hands, together, waiting for Jean to come back. Reiner walked past and shot him a cool smile before heading out of the dorm. So _that's_ who the sports fanatic was that shared Jean's dorm. 

"Feel free to help yourself to some chips or whatever." Jean's voice floated into the kitchen from the bathroom. Wandering round to the kitchen counter , Marco noticed that Jean had taken special efforts to lay out some bowls of chips and had even bought a few bottles of soda for them to drink while they studied. He carried them to the table, somehow managing to knock over Jean's art books in the process. _Nice one, Marco._ His face felt hot with embarrassment and he hurriedly picked them up, but one book caught his eye and he stopped, feeling aroused with curiosity.  The words, "Property of Jean Kirstein" was written on the first page in black sharpie. Flipping through the book, Marco realised this was Jean’s sketch book. He was surprised at how talented Jean really was at art. His sketches were highly detailed and realism seemed to be his strongest point. Marco envied him. Paintings were about the best he could manage, and even then they weren't highly realistic and detailed. He paged through the book until he came to one sketch that made his heart stop.

A rough sketch of his face was in Jean’s book. The freckles were there,  _everything_  ; shit, even Jean had managed to capture the one strand of hair that somehow managed to make its way into his face, despite how many times he parted and brushed aside his hair. It was like staring back at his reflection in a mirror. Next to his face, Jean had written in cursive, "Marco". 

"What the fuck are you doing?" The sketchbook was roughly snatched from his hands, and suddenly Jean was standing in front of him, glaring. His cheeks were a deep shade of scarlet and eyes dark with anger.

"Huh! There was a drawing of-"

"You? Yeah so what if I wanted to draw you? Is that a crime now?!" Jean cut him off, his lips curving into a fierce scowl. He was probably feeling embarrassed about the whole thing and Marco felt awful.  _"Why you gotta go and fuck things up?"_  a voice in his head snapped. 

Marco stared at Jean. "No! Of course not, it’s just that-"

"You shouldn't go through other people’s things." Jean’s voice was dangerously low and Marco cringed. He didn't know who was feeling more ashamed, him or Jean.  
  
"Jean.." he said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. Jean shook him off and Marco sighed. "I’m sorry for going through your stuff, I should have asked."   
  
“Fuck off.”

“Jean-“

"You came over to study, not go through my personal books." Jean stiffly replied. He wasn't glaring at Marco anymore, he just gazed at the ground, his fists clenched.

Marco gently lifted Jean's chin up and he heard him exhale softly. "I know," Marco said in a soft tone. "I was just curious and I'm not mad at you for drawing me. If anything, I'm impressed - you're really good, and I think it looks amazing." He drew his hand back and tilted his head, sighing. "I'm sorry, Jean. Please accept my apology, at least." 

Jean had a strange expression on his face, and he quickly turned away and smacked his books down on the table. "Don't worry about it."

Marco still felt terrible, and what was "Don't worry about it" supposed to mean anyway? That Jean had accepted his apology? That he wasn't upset about the whole thing anymore? Marco picked up his books and started towards the door.   
  
"Where are you going?"

He looked over his shoulder and saw Jean standing in the door frame, his face unreadable. 

"I'm going back to my dorm. You can go cool down, and I'll go study by myself for a bit. Maybe we can study together once we're both in a better frame of mind."   
  
Jean spun on his heels and Marco closed the door behind him, wishing that he could rewind time and not act upon his insatiable curiosity. He kept walking, Jean's angered expression sticking in his mind. Unlocking the door to his dorm, he saw that none of the lights were on, which meant that Armin and Eren were out somewhere. Marco dropped his books on the ground, ignoring the papers landing everywhere in a disorderly fashion, and flopped onto his bed with a soft groan. 

"College is hard." he mumbled into his pillow, pulling the covers over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I would post this sooner but I ended up stuck in bed with the 'flu and ended up sleeping for most of the weekend r.i.p me
> 
> Anyway I hope you're all still enjoying this so far and for those who are still with me reading this then lots of hugs and kisses for you~!
> 
> As always, kind critique is welcomed and comments/feedback are appreciated - if I have made any mistakes in here don't be afraid to let me know ! Thank you~
> 
> \- feel free to find me here at erwinbutt.tumblr.com and say hi ! ; (yes my url has changed)


	5. The Stars Belong To You (Ch. 5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three cheers for unexpected kisses!

Steam rose from the takeaway coffee cup like a hazy mist, swirling in the winter air. Marco held it tightly in one gloved hand, the other holding a new sketchbook that he'd bought for Jean, as an apology gift. Coffee and a sketchbook - perfect for an art student. He hoped that Jean would appreciate his peace offering and not just slam the door in his face. It had been about two weeks since he'd last seen the cute artist and when he had seen him, Jean had been hanging out with Reiner and his boyfriend Bertholt and Marco had felt too awkward and embarrassed to go up and say anything. Heading up to the college grounds, he saw Reiner leaving their dorm, but Jean didn't follow him, and Marco crossed his fingers in the hopes that he wasn't already in their class. Edging up to the door, he knocked twice on it and heard somebody moving around inside.

"Jean?" he called, pulling his scarf closer around him. His breath came out in soft puffs and his cheeks stung from the cold.

The door was opened and Jean leaned against it, arms folded across his chest, one eyebrow raised as he gazed at the taller freckled boy standing there, hands full. He looked like such a dumbass, with his knit scarf covering half his face and his thick coat.  _A cute dumbass, if Jean was going to be truthful, but still a dumbass.  
_ __  
Jean smirked. “What’s up freckles?”

"This is for you," Marco awkwardly shoved the cup towards Jean, who accepted it, confusion written in his features. "I'm sorry about the sketchbook thing... I didn't know you'd get so upset about it and-"

"Oh jeez Marco."

Marco ignored him and pushed his way into Jean’s room, taking off his scarf and sitting down on the bed. "And anyway, I didn't know that it was a big deal having my face in your book but whatever, I'm sorry all the same, it was wrong of me to-"

_"Marco."_

"So here I bought you these and-" Marco felt a finger on his lips and he looked up, startled. 

"Dude, you're getting carried away," Jean rolled his eyes. Marco felt a wave of relief wash over him. "It's okay, I guess I sort of overreacted anyway. I was just embarrassed about it but whatever. No big deal.”

“It’s not everyday I get drawn by someone who’s fucking incredible at art so...” he trailed off and then shrugged. “Anyway, here’s a new sketchbook for you since they’re expensive as hell and I hope your coffee isn’t cold.”

Jean took them and set them on the desk and then sat down on the bed. Marco was aware of how close he was sitting and Jean must have noticed because he laughed softly. “Do I make you nervous?”

“Ah you could say that.” Marco responded, looking down and fiddling with the buttons on his jacket.

"Huh."

Marco could feel Jean's eyes on him, and his cheeks grew hot. Suddenly two fingers tilted his chin up and Jean gazed at Marco, the bed creaking slightly as he shifted forward before planting his lips gently on Marco's. Jean didn't know what had come over him but he felt Marco freeze, and then slowly relax, his hand moving onto Jean's cheek -  _was his hand shaking slightly?_  - and Marco tilted his head slightly, drinking in the feeling of his lips on Jean’s, savouring this moment and  _oh no_ , Jean’s had his fingers brushing across his hip and Marco closed his eyes, wishing he could stay like this forever. But Jean pulled back. his eyes wide and  _fuck_ , if his heart beat any faster he was sure it would burst out of his chest. Marco looked as if he’d reached a new level of heaven but his expression quickly changed when he saw Jean staring at him in horror. 

“Oh my god I’m so sorry Marco, I didn’t mean to, I just couldn’t help it I-” Jean felt his voice fade and he looked down helplessly. 

There was a moment of silence and then Marco said softly, “Why did you stop?”

Jean stared at Marco if he’d grown a third eye. “It - it doesn't bother you that I just kissed you?”

“Should it?”

"Well you do realise that guys don't normally snog their friends, you know."

"Why not? Is there something wrong with that?"

Jean stammered out something but Marco shook his head. "Jean, it's fine. Really."

There was a moment of silence. Jean looked embarrassed and mumbled something inaudible.

"What?"

"I said," Jean spoke louder, although he was still flaming red. "Maybe we could... I dunno, maybe try to kiss again sometime? Only if you want to though!" he added hastily at the end, fidgeting with his hands.

Marco laughed and Jean shot him a dirty look. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, you're just a massive loser." Marco teased, kissing Jean on the nose and ignoring his protests as he headed towards to door. "Come on, we're gonna be late for class."

"At least I'm a loser who's a hot piece of ass though, right? Come on freckles, you think I didn't notice you staring at my butt with those big doe eyes of yours, huh?" Jean wiggled his eyebrows.

"I was not staring at your ass!"

"Was too!"  
  
"Was not!"  
  
"Marco, please you make everything really obvious."

"You're such a jerk." Marco rolled his eyes.

"You love it." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *posts chapter and hides* Sorry this is so short!! (i may or may not be posting short chapters to fill up the wait for the long smutty chapters i have drafted oops) ; ///A; 
> 
> If you're still with me on this story and reading it, then thank you so much it's very appreciated and I will be sending hugs and chocolates your way soon ♥
> 
> As always, kind critique is welcomed and comments/feedback are appreciated - if I have made any mistakes in here don't be afraid to let me know ! Thank you~
> 
> \- feel free to find me here at erwinbutt.tumblr.com and say hi ! ;


	6. The Stars Belong To You (Ch. 6)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently in my world, boys throwing paint around at each other inevitably lead to sex in a classroom. Wow.
> 
> Also for those who have just read the latest installment in the SNK manga - I hope that this can cheer you up somewhat. ♥

“No way!” two voices simultaneously gasped. Eren and Armin leaned forward at the same time, their eyes like saucers and mouths parted in surprise. Marco laughed at their expressions of shock. He’d told them all about the sketchbook incident and then about Jean unexpectedly kissing him in his dorm room and they’d lapped up the gossip with eager ears. 

“He sounds like  _such_  an asshole!” Eren stated firmly, after Marco had finished telling them the whole thing, crossing his arms over his chest. Armin lay on his stomach with his chin in his hands, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “I don’t know about that, he sounds rather dreamy to me. The strong, silent type who’s really a romantic at heart.”

Eren smacked him over the head, a horrified look on his face. “Excuse you!”

Marco groaned loudly and flipped open his notebook. “That sounds so cheesy when you say it like that, Armin.”  
  
Armin scrunched his nose up. “Well that’s exactly what you’re like Eren, and I find you to be dreamy!”

Everyone laughed, except Eren who had gone a lovely shade of crimson. “I- I’m not a romantic at heart! Gross.” Armin made a kissing noise and Eren stuck his tongue out at him. 

“Anyone would think you guys are five years old, the way you act around each other,” Annie commented. She was lying across Mikasa’s lap, the dark haired girl reading a book with one hand and playing with Annie’s hair in the other. “I think Jean sounds sweet, Marco and I’m glad you’re happy.” 

“Okay but I need to ask a really important question here,” Eren interrupted, looking pointedly at Marco. “Have you guys, you know-” he made a circle with his right index finger and thumb and used his left index finger to motion in and out of the circle. Armin nodded and waggled his eyebrows. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s none of your business.” Marco picked up a pencil and began doodling something in the corner of his book.

“In other words, no.”

“Eh?! I didn’t say that, but-”

“Well when you do, let us know if he tops. That way we can decipher more about him and what kind of guy he is.”

“What has him topping got to do with what kind of a person he is? And more importantly, why are you instantly assuming I’m going to be a bottom?!” Marco protested indignantly.

“Maybe they’re going to be switches.” Armin offered.

“You’re right, I hadn’t thought about that.” Eren agreed.  

“Oh for fucks sake, we're not even official yet, we kissed  _once_.” 

"Friends with benefits?"

Marco shot Eren a filthy look and then glanced at his watch. "It's time for you to stop, and it's time for me to be heading to the lecture hall. I have a painting Jean's helping me on. I'll see you guys later."

"Alright, later freckles." 

"Go get 'em tiger." Annie quipped.

Laughing, Marco grabbed a sweater and pencil case, and headed out into the cool evening.

* * *

 "So when is this due again?” Marco asked, squinting at his canvas. It was late at night and he and Jean were still working in the lecture hall, trying to study and paint a landscape that was part of an assignment that had been handed out to them last week. Jean’s ipod was playing some old Daft Punk and Marco smiled to himself as he heard his friend humming along to the tune as he gathered multi-colored tubes of paint and squeezed them out onto a wooden palette. 

“Um I think it’s next Thursday? Probably a good idea to double check though.”

“Oh okay. Hey Jean?”

“Yeah?”

“Duck.”

“What?” A moment of confusion flashed across Jean’s face as he looked up from mixing paints, but it quickly changed into a look of surprise and then disgust as Marco threw a blob of paint at him. “What the fuck dude?!” He held out his shirt, the purple glob sliding off and hitting the newspaper that lined the floor with a wet splat.

Marco laughed loudly. “I told you to duck, not my fault you didn’t listen to me.”

Jean scowled. “Well thanks a fuckin’ bunch, now I have to wash my shirt! You better hope this doesn’t stain else I’m going to kick your ass so hard.” He pulled his shirt off, and Marco noticed he had a tattoo across his hips.

“Hey, I didn’t know you had any tattoos, Jean.”

“Well now you do.” Judging by his short answer, he was obviously pissed off about the paint being chucked at him. Marco was curious now, and ignoring Jean's curses about his shirt, he wandered over to get a better look.

“God, Marco don’t get your face so near my crotch unless you plan on sucking me off,” Jean grumbled, but he didn't push Marco away. His tattoo was beautiful, a vintage style crimson swallow at each hip, and then a cluster of stars spattered around them, swirling over his skin in a flourish of dark points.

“Huh. That’s cool. I wish I had the guts to get a tattoo.” Marco replied wistfully, tracing his finger over Jean’s ink on his hips. Goosebumps dotted his skin and Jean tried to hold back the soft sigh of pleasure that threatened to spill from his lips.  
  
”Get a small tattoo on your shoulder or something.”

“Maybe one day.” Marco stood up and headed back to his painting area.

“Marco.”

Turning around, he had no time to dodge the glob of paint that Jean had flung at him from the end of his paintbrush. It hit him, staining his shirt and leaving wet speckles of paint on his arms and neck. “Jean, you asshole!"

“Oh revenge is so sweet, and payback is such a bitch, isn’t it, Marco?” Jean’s face lit up with perverse delight at the disgusted expression on Marco’s face.

“Is that a challenge?”

“I don’t know, is it?” Jean’s eyes narrowed and he grinned wickedly, scooping another lump of paint onto his paintbrush. He raised it threateningly and flicked it, ignoring the cries of horror from Marco as his weapon hit its target. Marco growled and grabbed his paintbrush, flinging some blue paint. It hit Jean on his stomach and he swore loudly. “Shit, that’s cold!”

“You brought this upon yourself!” Marco returned, throwing more paint. Jean hit him again, the wet goo running down his shirt and jeans now. Marco yanked his own shirt off and saw Jean taking his pants off. “Jean what are you doing?”

“I’m not standing around in jeans that have paint dripping down them, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Marco shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“You’d rather be uncomfortable than take your pants off? You’re a strange one, Marco.” Jean smirked. Marco’s cheeks blazed and he turned around and defiantly undid his belt and slipped his pants off, the two of them both standing in their boxers, covered in paint.

“That wasn’t so difficult now was it freckles? Now prepare yourself for your own destruction.” Jean squirted some paint into his hand and threw it, laughing mercilessly as made a mess on Marco’s back. Marco whipped around and grabbed his palette, and started stomping towards Jean, who suddenly didn’t look so triumphant. “I will fucking end you Kirschtein, I swear to God!”

“M-Maybe this is going too far! Please stop!”

The taller boy didn’t show any signs of stopping and Jean tried to grab the plate of paint out his hand, but Marco grabbed his arms and pushed him roughly against the wall. Jean’s eyes widened. “Okay, okay! I surrender, I won’t throw any more paint!”

Marco tried to look angry, but the corners of his mouth twitched and he couldn't help it. He laughed and put the paint down. “I’m just messing with you, I wouldn’t be that cruel.”

Jean huffed loudly. “You’re so mean sometimes. I suppose I did bring that upon myself... But still, you scared me there for a second.”

Marco grinned. “You totally brought that upon yourself.”

“Next time I will kick your ass though.”

“Don’t be too sure about that.” Marco replied playfully, Jean rolling his eyes.

There was silence for a moment and Jean looked up. “Uh, you’re still gripping my arms and this isn’t exactly comfortable being shoved up against a wall.”

“Shit sorry,” Marco let go, and Jean instantly tackled him onto the ground and slapped a smear of paint on his chest. ”Oh come on!”

Jean sat there, straddled across Marco, an evil smile on his face. “Told you so.”

Squirming underneath him, Marco growled. “Get off me!”

Jean tossed his head defiantly. ”Nope, I’m comfortable like this.”

As he shifted across his hips, Marco could feel heat beginning to stir low within him. “Dude, seriously get off. What are you, five?” He tried to move but Jean was a lot heavier than he looked, and he just struggled pathetically.

“Jeez Marco, you’re no fun-”

“Jean.”

Jean began to sit up and then he stopped. “Oh.”

Marco groaned inwardly and his head fell back against the floor.  _Congratulations Marco, for managing to go from throwing paint at your friend to having him sitting on you while you struggle with a boner. Nice job._

Jean didn’t seem too bothered by it though, which surprised Marco. He moved slightly and Marco bit his lip. “Looks like you’re the one who needs to get off, Marco."

“Fuck off, this isn’t funny.” Marco raised his arm and covered his face, wishing the earth would swallow him.

Jean gazed at him, his eyes glinting, and gently pulled his arm away. “Relax, I'm just fooling around.” He leaned down and brushed back the stray strand of Marco's hair that always fell slightly lopsided. "But if you do need any help with that-" Jean teasingly trailed his fingers down and left them tantalizingly handing above the waistband of his boxers and Marco hissed in frustration. 

"You're such an asshole."

"I know." Jean leaned down and placed his lips softly against Marco's cheek. They were trembling and Marco realised that Jean was probably just as clueless and nervous about this as he was. "Marco." He pulled back and looked down shyly.

"What?" The word were barely able to come out his mouth, and his throat felt dry and constricted.

"You're okay with this, right? Is it okay if I-" Jean looked down and then back up at Marco, questioningly. "I haven't done this before and-" he broke off, and in the celestial light that filtered through the windows Marco could see his cheeks were pink and he was chewing at his lip. It was almost a relief for Marco to know that he wasn't the only one who appeared to have spent his entire high school life a virgin.

"Y-yeah." Marco managed to whisper, feeling embarrassed at how quickly he responded. The air in the room was stifling and his heart was pounding so loudly he was almost tempted to ask if Jean could hear it, but the thought flew from his mind when Jean began kissing him softly on the lips. Marco sighed and cupped his cheek, pulling him in deeper and Jean made a small sound of pleasure. He rolled his hips against Marco’s hardening cock, his hands beginning to roam across his body. Feeling slightly dazed that this was happening to him, Marco spread his legs slightly, and tilted his head back, and at this point he felt so intoxicated and turned on he just relaxed and let Jean take control. 

He stifled a moan as Jean moved off his hips and moved his hand to the bulge in his boxers, pulling his cock out and stroking it in slow fluid motions, his lashes lowered and lips parted, breath coming in short misty pants. Marco covered his mouth to stop himself from begging and moaning and  _god Jean made him feel so alive and electric, and this, he concluded, was completely unfair._

“Does it feel good?” Jean purred against Marco’s lips, a sense of satisfaction coming over him as Marco whimpered in response and bucked his hips up into his hand. Clearly he was feeling a lot more confident than earlier, now that he was getting a response. Jean’s other hand was everywhere, fingers tracing along the dips in Marco’s hipbones one moment and then running up his sides, shivers making his body start at the small caress. He stroked harder, running his thumb over the head of Marco’s cock, pre-cum trickling down his fingers. Marco was falling apart, because of him. The thought sent a dagger of heat though him and he eyed Marco with a calm hunger.

“Lift your hips,” Jean murmured. Marco nodded meekly, raising his hips and allowing Jean to slowly tug his underwear off, a feeling of embarrassment rising in a warm pink hue across his face as Jean drank in the sight of him lying there. "Fuck..." Jean breathed, getting on his knees. Marco looked so beautiful, spread out and vulnerable, his skin tawny and covered in spattered freckles that spread constellations across his hips and thighs.

“D-don’t stare, it’s embarrassing.“

“As if I could stop.”

Marco, despite still looking a little embarrassed, uttered a breathless laugh and let his fingers run across Jean’s cheek, earning himself a small sigh. Leaning back down again, Jean kissed his way along the inside of his thighs, Jean licked a stripe on the underside of his cock, eyes on Marco the entire time. Swearing under his breath and leaning his head against the wall, Marco allowed his fingers to find their way down to Jean’s hair and he groaned a desperate, “Jean please..” ; a lascivious smile curving Jean’s lips as Marco began to fall apart in front of him.

Yet Jean didn’t make a move, instead he held Marco down, placing open mouthed kisses along his hips, causing a small gap of pleasure to sift through Marco’s parted lips. Sucking on the tender bronzed skin of his waist, Jean slowly made his way further down, taking great satisfaction in seeing how frustrated Marco was that he was taking so long, but also loving how slowly and carefully he explored every part of his being. Jean glanced up at him with a lidded expression, his cheeks flushed. He took hold of his erection and licked a stripe on the underside of his cock, then took the whole thing in his mouth.

“Oh my god.” Marco breathed, closing his eyes and allowing himself to sink under the waves of pleasure that crashed over him in a dizzy haze. Jean sucked and pressed his tongue against his head of his cock, lips swollen and wet and his jaw hollowed, the moonlight casting a soft glow and shadow under the sharp contrast of his cheekbones.

Marco panted, his fingers clenching as if trying to hold onto something, but he clasped nothing, instead covering his mouth to try and ebb away his moans that threatened to rise from his throat and spill out of his mouth. His hips jerked up as Jean’s teeth grazed against the sensitive head and _fuck_ , he felt as if he wouldn’t last much longer if Jean kept this going.

Spreading his legs a little wider, Marco squirmed and bucked up into his mouth, Jean moaning around his cock, licking and sucking hard; hands wandering over Marco’s ass and hips.

“Ah - I’m so close.” Shivers trailing down his spine, sending his body into stuttered jerks, Marco squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip.

“Look at me.” Jean leaned up, and Marco listened. Jean’s hand moved down to his still hard cock and stroked him, hazel eyes watching him with dark intent. Lowering his lashes, Marco reached out and pulled the smaller boy towards him, pressing his lips against his own. Jean kept touching and stroking him, the warmth in his groin now becoming a gradual heat, and he tilted back his head, letting Jean kiss and mark him across his neck and collarbones.

"Oh my god, I’m gonna come." Marco moaned and Jean stroked him harder, faster, kissing him roughly on the lips, his whimpers drowned. Jean ran his thumb over the slit and Marco arched his hips up, mindlessly seeking more. “Fuck, J-Jean...” A burst of intense heat and pleasure suddenly rushed over him, and he cried out as he came, Jean swearing under his breath. Marco’s body shivered and locked, then relaxed as the afterglow slammed into him. Jean’s hand stayed on Marco’s cock, and the freckled boy gasped and shuddered, oversensitive from his orgasm. Lying down next to him, Jean kissed him on the nose and Marco scrunched up his face, his chest still rising and falling rapidly.

”You’re fucking incredible.” He mumbled, curving into Jean’s body.

“So are you,” Jean responded, absently playing with the other boy’s hair. Marco propped his head up with his arm and looked over at him with an expression of fond adoration. Sighing, he shifted closer to Jean, resting his head against his shoulder. They lay there in the hush of the night, surrounded by silence, save for the sound of their breathing. But it all ended as soon as Jean sat up slowly. “Come, I’m going to take a shower now.”

"What?”

“Dude, I’m covered in paint and spunk and my dick is still hard, and besides, you owe me for making you cum so hard.” He teased and Marco’s face reddened, but he got up instantly.

Pulling his sweater back over his head, and yanking his jeans up, Marco went to where Jean was standing by the door. “Bonus, Reiner’s out all night and won’t be back til tomorrow, so we should make the most of that.” Jean wiggled his eyebrows.

“Sounds good to me.” Marco smirked.

“Race you there.”

“You’re on.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I am so terribly terribly sorry that this took me so long to post. I've been so busy with school finals and exams and I also was quite sick with the flu and I was VERY out of it. Literally. (I slept for a full 3 days omf g)
> 
> Anyway for those still stickin' with me, thank you so much! It means a lot. And for those who have sent me positive feedback on here and on tumblr, thank you to you as well, you have no idea how much more confident with my writing I feel when I get good feedback! /hugs you all/
> 
> As always, kind critique is welcomed and comments/feedback are appreciated - I've proofread this three times over and edited it, but if I have made any mistakes in here don't be afraid to let me know ! Thank you~
> 
> \- feel free to find me here at erwinbutt.tumblr.com and say hi !! ;


	7. The Stars Belong To You (Ch. 7)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like cheesy stuff then the click the little red box at the corner of your screen. Right now.

"Oh my god are those what I think they are?"

Marco turned in surprise. "Huh?"

The blonde slid his glasses off - which, when he first wore them caused Marco to melt into a puddle of stuttered comments of “how cute they looked on him” and “oh my god please wear them always” and resulted in Jean threatening to never wear them again if Marco didn’t shush - and looked up from a book he was reading. ”Your ears! Are you stretching them?”

“Oh! I, er-" Marco felt his cheeks go pink. He had finally gotten up the courage to get his ears pierced, and he decided to purchase some small tapers - he thought they looked pretty cool and he had been meaning to do something a little more outgoing and impulsive - and he'd thought that maybe Jean would like them too, but now he wasn't sure, judging by Jean's current expression. _Fuck.  
_

“Since when did you pierce your ears Marco? I thought you were too chicken to get pierced.” He looked skeptical and Marco threw him an irritated glance.

“I’m not chicken! I just.. think it would be nice to get some small plugs in my ears, so I got them pierced a few days ago when you went out to get Chinese.”

“Huh. They’re cute I’ll give you that,” Jean smirked and pushed his glasses back up with his index finger. "Did it hurt as much as you thought it would?"  
  
"Not really, just a slight pinch and once it slid in, it felt fine."

Jean snickered and Marco smacked him over the head. "That wasn't an innuendo, dumbass!"  
  
"Could've fooled me. Did you make as much noise when they pushed it in as you did when we were in the lecture hall with me?"  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
Jean giggled and turned back to his book and Marco came and laid down next to him, on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He thought about the two of them and questions floated through his mind. The weekend had passed with neither of the boys doing anything in particular aside from spending time with each other in lazy waves. They didn’t do anything sexual - perhaps it was the slight awkwardness of not knowing where they stood with each other that tended to happen after two friends cross that line and don’t speak of it. Or perhaps they were just happy to be in each other’s company, the smiles passed at each other without their lips moving, saying more words than their voices or an electric touch. Either way, Jean seemed relaxed and at ease and if he was, then Marco couldn’t deny sharing the feeling, yet a few doubts lingered in his mind such as where they stood with each other. Did Jean want to go further as a couple? Or was he uncomfortable with that? Jean was strange, as in he wouldn't really talk about how he felt - he was definitely more the type to keep his feelings to himself. Whereas Marco, on the other hand, had to share how he felt with someone. He felt more comfortable with being an open person and now that small doubts were floating in his mind, he had to ask the inevitable question.

“Hey, um, Jean? What are we?”

“That’s great.” His disinterested reply made Marco roll onto his tummy with an “oof” and he waved his hand in front of Jean’s face. 

“Are you even listening?”

“What? I’m trying to read.”

“I asked you a question. What are we, exactly?”

“What are we.” Jean repeated the question as he put the book down and turned to face Marco.

“Y-yeah. Are we something?” Marco felt his courage dissolving rapidly and for some reason he struggled to meet Jean’s eyes.

“...Do you want to be something?”

Unsure of how to respond, Marco remained wordless. He could feel Jean watching him, waiting for some sign of confirmation or denial, but he didn't know what to say. Of course he wanted to be something, but what if Jean didn't feel the same? The idea of being that close to someone and then to have them just push you away like that was almost too much to bear and he opened his mouth to speak, but Jean placed a finger on his lips.

"There's no rush for anything."

Again, he said it. He'd said that when they were together in the hall - that alone was confirmation that he did care, that he did want Marco to be okay with these new feelings and a sense of stability came over Marco. His courage slowly returning, he allowed himself to look up and Jean was there, smiling down at him. 

"You worry too much, seriously Marco."

"I know. I can't help it though, I just tend to over-think things a lot."

Jean put his book aside and patted his thighs, letting Marco come lie down, his head on his lap. Leaning down, Jean kissed him on the noise, eliciting a small laugh from the dark haired boy. He smiled against his skin and pecked Marco's lips, his hand brushing and playing with Marco's hair. He could feel Marco relaxing; sighing into his kiss, he could feel his soft rhythmic heartbeat, all signs that _he was there_  and he found his fingers tracing each freckle that dotted the smooth surface of his skin and moving under the curve of his wet lips. And Jean knew that if you could ever experience heaven he was sure that in that brief moment he had been there and back again.

"It's okay."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DEAR GOD that was so cheesy i'm just going to post this and leave goodby e
> 
> Hello everyone! I am SO sorry that this has taken me about a billion years to post and that it's so short! It's more of a filler than anything - and if you follow me on tumblr you'll have seen that I posted that I was going away for a few days on a family vacation and that there was no wifi there - well, my friends, I battled the glorious battle and I am back in my own bed with unlimited wifi and my laptop and I am truly experiencing the power of god right now.
> 
> Speaking of tumblr, a lovely person who wishes to remain anon, asked if Marco could get some sort of piercing or body mod and if Jean could wear those glasses, so if you're reading this, I hope you enjoy Marco's new tapers and Jean's glasses! Now these two hipster nerds can look absolutely dapper while they do the do in the art hall. NICE!
> 
> As always, kind critique is welcomed and comments/feedback are appreciated - if I have made any mistakes in here don't be afraid to let me know ! Thank you~
> 
> \- feel free to find me here at yamazakisousuked.tumblr.com and say hi ! ; (yes my new url is a mouthful and I'm not erwinbutt anymore, I'm sorry but I had to change it in honor of the latest season of Free! which still has me going like !!!!! )
> 
> /♥ smooches and hugs for those still putting up with me - you guys are incredible ♥/

**Author's Note:**

> I'm totally here for big sister!Mikasa taking care of all her friends and I'm 100% sure that if Eren actually went to college that he'd procrastinate and procrastinate (and possibly persuade Armin to do other things beside study) and then do a major cram the night before lmao.
> 
> Anyway hello my lovelies! yes so I haven't written for about 1000 years (so I hope this is alright) but here you go this has been sitting in my drafts forever and I was so worried about posting it on here but I did anyway so here you go!  
> Not sure how many chapters there are but I'll be posting chapter 2 soon since it's already written up - originally this chapter and chapter 2 was one chapter but it turned out to be quite long and I thought I'd split them, hence why this one is super short and kind of introductory.
> 
> As always, kind critique is welcomed and comments/feedback are appreciated - if I have made any mistakes in here don't be afraid to let me know ! Thank you~
> 
> \- find me here at erwinbutt.tumblr.com ;


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